2018-19 Staff Kudos

Did one of your colleagues recently wow you? Use our Staff Kudos Recognition Program to show your appreciation. We will recognize everyone who receives a Staff Kudos with a personalized postcard and a mention in the Monday Memo. (People recognized Friday through the next Thursday will be included in the next week's memo.) We will also donate books to our staff and student resource libraries on the behalf of everyone recognized. These books will include a dedication on the inside cover. Thank you for recognizing the amazing work your colleagues are doing.

Rikkie Schley - Your willingness to share your many areas of expertise with your colleagues and take on a multitude of additional responsibilities at BECC is so appreciated. You truly go "above and beyond" in every way!

Gerry Reyes - Gerry is dedicated to serving the kids in his classrooms and is always willing to offer his skills to work with individual kids.

Patricia Burros - Patricia went above and beyond for all the schools in taking care of ODE's ADM Audit. She helped us all!

Amy Stevens - I appreciate Amy's guidance and support she has provided me in Early Intervention. Ultimately the families and children benefit when we collaborate.

Justin Wyatt - Justin approaches every task with a "can-do" attitude and with amazing customer service to other departments and staff within the agency. I have been a recipient of this support, and am very grateful for his tireless efforts.

Todd Johnson - For his hard work and dedication to every single one of his students over the many years.

Jennifer Garlock - For striving to better her place of work, for her dedication and for her teamwork.

Olivia Esterly - Olivia's Circle Time is fun and engaging while incorporating multiple learning opportunities, and doesn't go on so long that the kiddos get too antsy. It's the best of all worlds! Thank you Olivia!

Rain Daniel - Rain was highly instrumental in providing input for designing Oregon ZooLights for children with sensory challenges. She also volunteered at the event on 1/8/19 and her skills were very impressive in supporting a child who needed extra support. Cheers to Rain!

Suzanne Toner - Suzanne was highly instrumental in providing input for designing Oregon ZooLights for children with sensory challenges. She also volunteered at the event on 1/8/19 and arrived early to train the volunteers about how to support children and families.

Lori Bearden - Lori was highly instrumental in providing input for designing Oregon ZooLights for children with sensory challenges. She volunteered time before the event by walking the Zoo and providing input on design. She also volunteered at the event on 1/8/19 and provided support to children in the "wiggle room." This event made it possible for many children to experience ZooLights.

Joe Voydat - Without being asked, helped our building's staff be safe on the icy Monday morning by icing the parking lots and walk-ways.

Maureen Crawford Markasky - For her hard work and dedication to her students. She is always thinking of way to enhance each student's learning.

Julie White - Julie is a leader and always gets the job done. She cares about the students and the staff and continually finds creative ways to build community in our school building. She is one of a kind! Julie goes the extra mile for our students and I appreciate her everyday.

Bonnie Becraft - Ms. Becraft continues to connect with students via art and making time to practice her listening skills with her students. She is invested in student success everyday.

December 2018

Alisha Golec - Alisha was gracious, kind, and quick in responding to a situation when I had kind of dropped the ball. She came through for me in a big way and made it seem like it was no big deal at all.

Carlene Smith - Carlene found time in her busy schedule to put together a successful grant to increase our Handwriting Without Tears implementation at our site. Without her efforts we wouldn't have the same opportunity to teach this great curriculum to our students.

Laurie Harrison - A supervisor stepping in to provide direct instruction to a student herself instead of hiring a substitute while I am out on leave is teamwork. Thank you Laurie.

Cynthia Schuh - Cynthia has always been helpful to me even when my questions didn't pertain to her job. She is bubbly, spirited, and knowledgeable! I enjoy working with her so very much!

Brittany Weinstein - Brittany and I started around the same time, so we had a lot to learn on the fly. She has kept a positive attitude through all of the learning and has been so fun to work with! What a great addition to the AR team :)

Carlos Tenorio Hughes - Carlos served as a bridge to help me develop a trusting relationship with a family. I would not be able to provide special education services for this child without his help! I truly appreciate his positive attitude and willingness to support me in my work with families.

Valerie White - For outstanding support to the BECC Team. Valerie has demonstrated tremendous leadership in establishing smooth processes. She will be missed as she moves on to a new assignment in the coming weeks. Thank you, Valerie!

Erin Sanderson - Erin has adapted to her new assignment quickly and is providing great service to community preschools. She is great at planning ahead and ensuring that she prepares things for her coworkers.

Marie Johnson - Marie realized that a student was having hunger problems at home and organized a voluntary effort to help.

Eve Welcome - You go above and beyond your job requirements. Your work ethic in collaborative partnership has helped make our department succeed in providing innovative services to our districts. Thank you for doing what you do best!

Gerardo Reyes - Gerardo implemented PBIS flawlessly in the classroom and prevented the escalation of a situation that could have easily gone a different direction. He facilitated peer negotiation via the visual supports available and allowed the kids to work it out.

Deanna DSouza - Deanna is always looking for ways to get more students involved. She is very equity focused and it's great to have her on the team.

Stephanie Rose - Stephanie is always so kind and helpful when trying to decifer HR code. :) She can make anything more understandable to us non-HR-ers. Thank you, SR for all of your help.

Brittney Bufford - Thank you for all of your collaboration, data, hard work and dedication to our students! As I write progress I can see how much you have made a difference to our students.

Karah Griffin - Thank you for all of your collaboration, data, hard work and dedication to our students! As I write progress I can see how much you have made a difference to our students.

Mary Robertson - Thank you for all of your collaboration, data, hard work and dedication to our students! As I write progress I can see how much you have made a difference to our students.

Ros Kekahuna - She is always so helpful and kind! She puts up with my ineptitude with computer related forms! She’s the best!

Megan Snow, Micaela Quintana, Laura Christensen, Cindy Maller, Veronica Garfias, Michelle Nolasco, and Laura Barazza - Team Social-Communication has gone above and beyond to make their classroom a great supportive environment for learning. They are compassionate educators who make it possible for all students in their class to thrive!

Nena Hurd - No matter how busy she may be, Nena is always ready to help her team. Thank you for your kindness and support! You're amazing!

Troy Kujala - Thank you for all your help with my new laptop and getting my new workspace up and running!

Marina Alvarez - I received a call from one of our Migrant Families. I was told that Marina is doing an outstanding job motivating young students to go to College. She's a great role model! Awesome job Marina, you're also a great team member.

Tafena Timpson - She is a dedicated, smart, fun and hard-working person who has made the Outdoor School program a better place. She's a joy to work with and we're lucky to have her!

Lana Mann - Lana is a very hard worker and she is always willing to help everyone out. She's a great multi-tasking rockstar and very knowledgeable.

Kathy Fernandez - Kathy provides EXCELLENT customer service to her colleagues. She is always willing to help with a smile and enthusiasm.

Ethan Akre - Thank you for all your help in getting my Addobe license finalized. I appreciate you!

Sarah Foster - Thank you for your work on the Water Bottle Filling project for our sites. I appreciate all the time and attention to detail you give to the success of our Medicaid programs.

November 2018

Susan Winningham - Susan has been amazingly flexible in jumping in to different assignments and her skills are an asset wherever she goes!

Erick Aprize - Erick is an amazing team player. If our interpreter is not available to help with our Spanish speaking families, he is quick to step in. He is warm, friendly and very professional. Thanks Erick, You have saved me many times!!

Laura Germond - She is always willing to provide guidance and help in anyway that she can! Thank you, Laura!!

Robin Pickering - Robin generously shares her expertise, materials, enthusiasm and creativity with co-workers at her schools and our team at NWRESD. She is an amazing speech-language pathologist and extraordinary team member which = partnership for student success.

Elena Barreto - Elena is committed to bettering the educational community by equipping students and families with tools to improve learning systems and she is always consistent in her presence of visiting districts in person!

Seth Tucker - His training skills are amazing, he got a lot of patience and understanding the process of a new coworker to the team. Thank you, Seth!

Holly Hooge - Holly is so supportive in the testing of GED students in both Washington and Columbia Counties. She came to Columbia County on her own time for a collaborative meeting with a prep site and myself. In addition to that, she also has helped me get up and running again for GED testing after my leave of absence. The list is long.....she is a great partner and employee of NWRESD!

Sadako Hattori - Thank you for your technical expertise in setting up the sound system for the Columbia County trauma-informed care training. We appreciate you!

Eve Welcome - Thank you for your technical expertise throughout the trauma-informed care training in September. Having you there to take care of the many technical glitches was reassuring and brought us peace of mind. You are awesome!

Catherine Steadman - Thank you for supporting the NWRESD at the Kiwanis Children's Fair in October. Once again you have brought your creative talents and generous spirit forward to share our programs with the community.

Susan Dorofey - Susan, Thank you for offering up your time and energy on a Saturday to work at the St. Helens Kiwanis Children's Fair. It was great to have you there to share goodies, information & resources with families.

Ana Morehouse - Thank you for providing workshops on Autism and social communication to the Columbia EI/ECSE team. Your time and expertise is much appreciated by our entire team.

Rhiannon Stout & Angela Dowlen - Thank you for offering a fabulous autism, social communication and visual systems training to the Columbia EI/ECSE team. We appreciate you bringing your expertise to us and for providing the beautifully prepared Essential Visual binders!

Stephanie Crawford - Thank you for providing the "Who, What, and Where of AAC" workshop to the Columbia EI/ECSE team. Through your support, our team now has a better understanding of how to use various AAC devices to help young children communicate with others. When children who are nonverbal are able to communicate their thoughts and be understood, the whole family benefits.

Valerie White - Always taking the time to look for something to help resolve billing issues...Already so much to do and Valerie always helps me in a more than timely fashion. Thank you, Valerie!

Bianca Valvezan - Bianca is always very helpful when we need anything to do with the entire Instructional Services team. Bianca goes above and beyond to make sure her team is well taken care of. We see you girl, we see you! Thank you, B!

Myronda Schiding - Myronda is a great ally for our typically under-served students in our typically under-served districts. She ALWAYS has the student in mind and heart when representing NWRESD. She makes things more equitable for those who are usually left out. She makes us all look good.

Marianne Como - She is the glue that keeps our Head Start team together. Her work with children, Head Start Teachers and our Head Start ECSE team is exceptional. Thank you for taking time to help reduce Licensed staff workloads by scheduling IFSP's and making classroom visuals!! I appreciate you!!

Tonia Brown - Thank you for taking the time to support the TECC community team this year by making much needed visuals for our community children. You are helping create classroom visuals and tools that follow universal design- very important components for successful inclusive classrooms. Your time and positive attitude is always appreciated!!

Cathy Turner - Cathy continues to support and go the extra mile for our students. She is a skilled school psychologist and she completes our team. Daily she puts the students first and continues to provide support in the classroom when staff are out of the building

Kendra Hughes - Kendra facilitated a training for the behavioral school programs in the area of equity and culturally sustaining instructional strategies. The feedback from staff was off the charts with positive feedback and learning outcomes. She cares about the success of students and has made a huge impact on the behavioral school programs. Thank you Kendra.

Christine Melcher - Christine has gone above and beyond putting in lots of hard work after hours in helping to bring a Spanish-language parent training to BECC.

Peggy Freund - Peggy takes a tremendous amount of time mentoring her staff to ensure they are competent and well-prepared. She is supportive, thorough, a wealth of knowledge, patient, approachable, and understanding. She is a supervisor who helps her teams have the tools needed to best support families.

Mary France, Hanna Holton, Rosa Walker, Claudia Round, Cherie Shearer, Caitlin Standish, and Tammee Meneghin - For providing a communication training presented in Spanish from the initial training seminar down to the very important childcare support. Our families expressed many thanks for making them feel a part of the TECC community.

Maria Lopez and Claudia Ochoa - For going above and beyond and calling ALL our Spanish-speaking TECC families to invite them personally to our first PEPS in Spanish. They were a huge part of our success. Also, for their advocacy work, focus on equity, & incredible attitudes and energy. We are blessed to have them at NWRESD.

Tracy Zell - I received a phone call from a parent that wanted to let me know how much she liked Tracy and that she was a wonderful teacher helping her son succeed. This parent is very happy with our program. I want to thank Tracy for being a great representative for Northwest Regional.

Roger Dessert -He went above and beyond, creating opportunities for a child to practice her social communication skills! He was encouraging when he heard her voice!

Daniliz Ortega - Going the extra mile in removing barriers to a refund for one our rural, DHS family childcare providers. The provider didn't have to wait because of Ms. Ortega's assistance.

Kendra Hughes - Kendra supplied extra support to insure one of our rural childcare professionals got all her PD hours recorded in her ORO account.

Misty Averette and Robin Lindsey - They are the brains of our building, making everything go from facilities and daily staff schedules. Additionally, they both provide caring support to the families we serve and to their colleagues.

Lisa Mellman - Lisa is so willing to support learning for all students and all staff. She continues to go above and beyond to support those around her.

Carissa Martos - Carissa is relatively new to the DHH team after having served as a temporary teacher for several months, last year. Carissa has stepped up and assisted her colleagues in learning technology, ASL coaching and modeling, and brings new and innovative ideas to her team -- much appreciated and valued!

Krista Macaulay - Krista is an experienced teacher but is new to the DHH team, this year. Krista has really stepped up in mentoring and helping a colleague who has needed some extra support with technology, and I appreciate this as well as the positive attitude that she brings to her job, each day!

Mary Santos - Mary is an amazing asset and strength in our audiology program, and has really stepped up in taking on additional responsibilities with FM systems this year. I appreciate Mary's giving spirit and her willingness to do whatever needs to be done to keep our program running effectively!

Sharon Meeuwsen - Sharon finds special ways to add a festive flair to the WSC by bringing decorations and sweet treats to share. Thank you, Sharon, for bringing a little fun to the office!

Carlos Tenorio Hughes - Carlos always takes the time to make a meaningful connection with everyone he meets, whether it's a community member, parent, or colleague. He represents NWRESD in such a positive way and serves as a wonderful ambassador for the agency!

Ally Stutzer - Ally is incredibly detail-orientated and a great thought partner. She always gives 100% and it shows in her high quality work. She is professional, a great team player, and helps make the work easier AND better for everyone who is lucky enough to work with her!

Julie White - Julie is well-organized and hardworking - without Julie, I don't think our students and staff would be as successful as we are.

Ros Kekahuna - Whenever I have a question for fiscal I know I can go to Ros and she will greet me with a smile and a friendly answer ... even if I've already asked the question 100 times! She strikes the perfect balance between keeping everything on the up and up - which is so important when it comes to our finances - while making the process clear and easy. Thank you, Ros!

Jennifer Coffey - Jennifer has worked really hard to create parent coaching nights for our speech students at HECC and continues to work toward getting more resources for parent training in both speech and language.

Cindy Maller - She is always willing to step up to the plate with a smile on her face.

October 2018

Betsy Brower - On a day we had multiple meetings beginning at the same time, and a staff member leading one meeting out, Betsy took the initiative to provide support and customer service to our meeting guests and other colleagues. Not once did Betsy ask, "what would you like me to do?" She just got up and did!

Troy Kujala - Troy, thank you for the last minute tech set-up for our meeting. You went above and beyond!

Sonia Reyes - Sonia - Thank you for all of your help and coordination for our meeting. Especially thank you for all the extra things you did that made it run smoothly.

Kristine Green - Thank you for all of your help with Synergy and ODE, I couldn't have gotten through all the reports without your help.

Courtney Brochert - Outstanding communication with team to ensure student has access to their education.

Susan Graham - Susan takes initiative to learn new programs, finds solutions to existing problems and helps staff with any issue that might arise. She is new to our office, but has made an impact on us by keeping us on track while learning her job. I am most fortunate to work with her!!

Peggy Boisvert - Peggy has worked smoothly and efficiently to set the classroom and office up in an organized way during our recent move. She continues to organize and keep me organized as we move through our new school year.

Mindy Garrison - Mindy has demonstrated initiative and efficiency in getting our classroom packed/unpacked and organized during our recent relocation. She continues to assist and keep us going smoothly and efficiently.

Renae Iversen - I would like to recognize Renae Iversen for being so kind and caring with everyone she meets. She always strives to make sure everyone feels included.

Polly Grant - I really appreciate Polly’s willingness to learn and try out new ways to accomplish tasks. I am very impressed with her mentality of continually improving her job accuracy and efficiency. She is a wonderful team player, who understands that someone has to try things first to test out new procedures and give constructive and meaningful feedback on how it went.

Melinda Halverson, Isabell Gomez-Rios and Grace Fasching - These three on the Substitute Services Team work tirelessly every day to support student success by taking every possible action to see that staff have coverage when they are absent. This is no small task in a setting with record low unemployment rates and substitutes with less flexible schedules. To make this happen, they have implemented a variety of new strategies. Thank you all so much!

Sonia Reyes - Sonia is always quick to help out where she can and assist her colleagues and visitors alike. She is a smiling face as soon as you enter the service center. She always treats people with respect and is continually helping out her coworkers. Sonia is a great addition to the front office.​Tina Mam - Tina is always SO helpful with fiscal issues and questions. Tina has helped me so many times, I've lost count. She is always very kind and greets everyone with a smile...even if it is a complicated situation.

Betsy Brower and Bianca Valvezan - Went above and beyond in making sure that Hillsboro School District had everything they needed for a meeting held in our building.

Claudia Ochoa - Claudia is an integral part of our Early Intervention team for Spanish speaking families. She offers excellent interpretation services, but also has an amazing soothing and positive energy about her. Our families feel instantly at ease with her on their side! Thank you so much Claudia. We couldn't do our jobs without you.

Dave Whitman - He has been extremely helpful in assisting me in my new role. He has shared his expertise and knowledge freely and with a great amount of patience with all of my thousands of questions. Thank you so much!

Laurie Harrison - Laurie has been incredibly supportive, regardless of whether she is technically "working" that day. She has also been encouraging and collaborative when it comes to figuring out approaches to new and novel problems.

Abigail Hostetter - Abi has driven out to assist students of mine while I was gone on an NC day, and is ready to pitch in and help either bring a project to life or step in in a pinch. She also helped design some online paperwork that I now use every day.

Mallory Hummer - Mallory started with our team in the summer and jumped right into a busy schedule! She has been a pleasure to work with--dependable, friendly, and knowledgeable.

Lauren Slyh O'Driscoll - Lauren is always willing to help make our programs successful by stepping up and taking on more work to help us accomplish our goals.

Alexandra Lodwig and Erin Beavers - They've gone above and beyond to create a pilot feeding group to better serve the families at our site. They choose to take this project on in addition to their regular work and worked collaboratively to make it happen!

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